The present invention relates to an indicator lamp assembly and more particularly to a mounting system for retaining a plurality of indicator lamps such as light emitting diodes (hereinafter LED) at predetermined spacings in a single unit for mounting on a printed circuit board.
In recent years, manufacturers of electronic equipment, including computers, electrical instruments, consumer products and the like have used groups of indicator lights to serve as function indicators and provide illuminated displays. The manufacturers of such electronic equipment have previously had to purchase individual indicator lights or light modules and then arrange the indicator lights or modules individually on a printed circuit board to achieve a desired configuration. This process requires special tooling and handling which increases the final cost of the electronic equipment.
It would be advantageous to provide a mounting system in which any number of indicator lamps can be provided in a variety of configurations using a standard lamp module. A plurality of such modules should be able to be interlocked to provide a single unit for use by the electronic equipment manufacturer. Such modules could be pre-assembled by the manufacturer thereof into indicator lamp display assemblies, or could be assembled by the electronic equipment manufacturer installing the lamps in a finished product. Applications of assembled display units include function mode and status mode indicators, bar graphs, light sources for back lighting legends, and through panel displays. The present invention relates to an indicator lamp base and indicator lamp assembly which provide such capabilities.